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Margaret Smith Court - Retired Briefly From Tennis

After reaching the finals of women's singles and winning the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon in 1966, Court decided to retire. For the previous year or two, she had become bored by tennis, the practice, and the travel. Court had won everything and found she no longer needed to compete. Instead she decided to make up for the fun she missed as a teenager.

Court returned home to Western Australia. She lived in Perth with a friend and opened a boutique named Peephole. Tennis was the furthest thing from her mind, though she did learn how to play squash. She also was married to Barry Court, a wealthy wool broker, yachtsman, whose father was a politician, in 1967, and became known Margaret Smith Court.

Awards and Accomplishments

1960 Women's singles championship at Australian Open—youngest woman to win title
1961 Women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open; mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; Kent All-Comers Championship
1962 Women's singles championship and mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; women's singles championship at French Open; women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open
1963 Women's singles championship at Wimbledon; women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open; women's double championship at U.S. Open; mixed doubles Grand Slam (with Ken Fletcher)
1963-65, 1969-70, 1973 Ranked number one in world
1964 Women's singles championship, women's doubles championship, and mixed doubles championship at French Open; women's singles championship and mixed doubles championship at Australian Open; mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; women's double championship at Wimbledon; helped Australia win Federation Cup
1965 Women's singles championship, women's doubles championship, and mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon; women's singles championship and mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open; women's doubles championship and mixed doubles championship at French Open; helped Australia win Federation Cup
1966 Women's singles championship at Australian Open; women's doubles championship at French Open; mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon
1968 Women's double championship at U.S. Open; mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon; helped Australia win Federation Cup
1969 Women's singles championship and mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; women's singles championship and mixed doubles championship at French Open; women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open; women's doubles championship at Wimbledon
1970 Women's singles championship at Wimbledon; women's singles championship, women's double championship, and mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open; women's singles championship at French Open; women's double championship at Australian Open
1971 Women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open; helped Australia win Federation Cup
1972 Mixed doubles championship at U.S. Open
1973 Women's singles championship and women's double championship at U.S. Open; women's singles championship and women's double championship at French Open; women's singles championship and women's doubles championship at Australian Open
1975 U.S. Open doubles championship; mixed doubles championship at Wimbledon
1979 Inducted into the Tennis Hall of Fame
1986 Inducted into the Women's Sports Hall of Fame

Where Is She Now?

After her retirement, Court was not actively involved with the game, though she worked with junior tennis in Western Australia. Instead, she focused on raising her four children (three sons and one daughter) with husband Barry Court. Religion was also important to Court. Raised Roman Catholic, she became extremely spiritual late in her playing career. In 1991, Court became an ordained Christian minister and started her own mobile ministry, Margaret Court Ministries, Inc. By that time, Court had been working in ministry for seventeen years. She later founded the Victory Life Church in Perth, Australia. While she occasionally coached children from her church, Court herself did not play tennis.


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